My Light
by the alpha phoenix
Summary: Takeru's smile usually hid the loneliness and depression that he sometimes felt. They were feelings that tried to overwhelm him but, thankfully, he had a certain special someone in his life to make sure that those thoughts didn't last for long. Takari one-shot.


**My Light**

Heya everybody. I recently had a thought about how Takeru's childhood might have been and how lonely he must have felt. It's something that inspired this idea, which is meant to be a glance into his thoughts and feelings on certain things that have happened in his life.

I was originally going to write it in third-person but, after looking at how it plays out, I think it's better as a first-person story. A lot of it is Takeru's inner monologue and thoughts, so it makes sense to be written this way. It's my first time attempting a first-person fic, so hopefully this is ok. Please let me know how I've done.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things that I mention in this story.

Summary: Takeru's smile usually hid the loneliness and depression that he sometimes felt. They were feelings that tried to overwhelm him but, thankfully, he had a certain special someone in his life to make sure that those thoughts didn't last for long. Takari one-shot.

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"See ya, Takeru."

I glanced up and saw my basketball teammates waving before they set off home. I'd decided to stay and get some more practice in as I waited for Hikari Yagami to arrive. I guessed that she was still at her art club because normally she'd come and watch my practice if she finished before me. Today was one of those days where Hikari must have gotten carried away and found something that she liked in her photos.

"See ya." I waved back at my teammates before the door to the basketball court close behind them. I could see Daisuke leaving the changing rooms behind them with all of his friends from the school's football team too. His parents liked him to be home for a certain time because his mother would cook and have dinner ready for when Daisuke arrived home. His father would be there too and, sure, Jun was away at university but Daisuke would still get to have dinner with his parents and eat like a family.

I sighed and couldn't remember the last time my mother cooked a meal on a weekday and had it on the table for when I arrived home. She always worked late and tonight was no exception. There was someone that she needed to interview and my mum would have to type up the interview for the paper after that. I doubted that she would be home before midnight for the third night in a row.

It wasn't something that I could hate her for though and I genuinely appreciated her hard work. She had to work that hard to provide for me and to make sure that we could eat, pay the bills and so on. It's just that I didn't get to see her as much as I'd have liked, just like the rest of my family.

I shook that thought out of my head and focused on the large orange ball in my hands. I didn't want my mind to go to that dark place so I bounced the ball off the ground a few times before looking up at the hoop. I took the shot and watched as the ball sailed through the air and hit the backboard before it dropped into the hoop. The net rippled as the ball passed through it and I sprinted over to grab it.

I dribbled back around towards the centre of the court and took another shot from the three-point line. My lips turned upwards at the ball dropped straight through the basket. I'd be very happy if I nailed a shot like that in an actual match. I sprinted over to the ball again, taking practice shot after practice shot just like I'd done many times over the years.

This was a regular thing for me because, after all, there was nobody at home for me to go back to. My parents were divorced and I lived with my mother. My brother lived with my father and while I now lived in the same area, it didn't mean that I saw them as much as I liked. At least it was better than the days when I lived in a different part of Tokyo. Back then, I definitely didn't get to see Yamato as much as I wanted to.

I caught the ball and stared at it. Today would have normally been a day where I would visit Yamato and hangout with him, but that wasn't an option now because of his university schedule. He started university a few months ago just when I started senior high and we'd hardly seen each other since. It kind of reminded me of those old days before I moved back to Odaiba.

I bounced the ball a couple of times before catching it again. Those days were lonely. So very lonely. I was all alone because I didn't know anyone in my new school. I was all alone because I didn't have my brother. I was all alone because my mother was working late and I had to go to a club with very few kids my age after school.

I had made most of my friends through my brother before my parents split up. It was how I met Hikari for the first time because Yamato had taken me to the park to play on the same day that Taichi had brought Hikari. We instantly became friends even if our brothers fought a lot. Thankfully, Sora was always there to sort them out.

However, with Yamato gone, I didn't know what to do back then and I struggled to make friends for years. Being alone like that is what led to me taking up both basketball and my other main hobby, and hopefully full-time career in the future, reading and writing. I became the kid in the corner who read a lot or the only kid on the basketball court practicing when the older kids had gone home. When they let me join in, it was only so that they could tease me and make fun of me because I was younger and not as good as them.

I sighed again as my eyes remained fixed on the ball in my hands. Basketball was definitely one of the things I did to try and pass the time back then and even now until I could do something with someone. It used to be the same with reading, but that's changed and I enjoy getting lost in a good book much more than I used to. I've actually started writing a series of books in my spare time about a group of kids who go to another world to fight monsters. I'm using my experiences in the Digital World to help me write it and it's good practice for the day I finally manage to write up the adventures that my friends and I had with our Digimon partners.

I glanced up and shot for the hoop, watching as the ball sailed through the air again. It hit the backboard and bounced back towards me. I knew that my mind was elsewhere now and that the black cloud that was depression had starting to come over me. I caught the ball and stared at it once more.

The memories of crying myself to sleep because I couldn't understand why I couldn't see Yamato and my dad any more came flooding back. I was alone and often picked on for being an outsider. Is it any wonder that I was a cry baby or made mistakes when it came to my friends? I didn't have anyone around me so how could I know what to do? I'm glad that changed though all thanks to one special experience.

My time first in the Digital World with Yamato, Patamon, Hikari and the others changed me. It made me more confident and it was great to be back with my old friends and some new friends too. After that, I was able to make some new friends at school and that helped to easy the loneliness, but only a little. I was still alone when I wasn't at school because my friends will still go home to their families while I had to wait for my mother to arrive.

Moving back to Odaiba was one of the best things that happened to me because the year that followed was one of the best in my life. I had another adventure in the Digital World and got to see Patamon again. I made new friends and I was with them in the evening, battling in the other realm to keep it safe. I got to be with Hikari again and we fought side by side just like we had three years earlier. Going to the Digital World and having Patamon with me all of the time finally took the edge off how lonely I felt.

However, when the battles were over and Patamon had to stay in the Digital World to keep an eye on things, I started to feel empty again. I was coming home to an empty apartment once more. It's not that I dislike being alone because there are definitely times when I want to be alone. It's just that coming home, cooking for myself and having nobody to talk to most nights each week would get anybody down, right?

Thankfully, going to see Yamato more regularly helped ease that though but the real cure was my best friend. I think Hikari saw the changes in me and she made a point of either joining me at my place or inviting me to hers. She's my best friend and she will always be my best friend, no matter how our relationship has evolved over time. I'm eternally grateful for her and I truly love her with every part of me.

"Takeru, what's the matter?" I heard a familiar feminine voice ask and a smile returned to my lips. "I know that look on your face. Are you ok?"

I clearly had zoned out but that didn't bother me that I'd been caught, especially by her because I think I needed her at that moment. My gaze shifted from the ball to the certain someone standing on the sideline. My eyes traced up her long smooth and slim legs to the school skirt that hugged her curvy yet still slender hips. Her shirt hid her slim waist and flat stomach as it hugged the curves of her breasts. I knew that they were more than a handful for me from personal experience because, after all, we'd been a couple for over a year now and had expressed our love in the most intimate way possible more times than I cared to count.

My sapphire eyes found her face, those enchanting lips and mahogany-brown orbs that were framed perfectly by her silky chocolate-coloured hair. I couldn't miss the concern on her face as my smile grew. She always managed to do this for me. She was the light that chased off the darkness every time it threatened to takeover. She was the reason that I no long felt as lonely as I had when I was younger. She was the one that stopped my depression from taking hold and pulling me down.

Hikari Yagami continued to stare at me as I made my way over to her. She was my best friend, my girlfriend and my lover all in one amazing package. For as great as her looks were, her personality out shone all of that. She was kind, caring and thoughtful of others, which I knew was proven by her importance in my life. Hikari was smart, witty and so much fun to be around. I knew I could go on and on for days complementing her but it would never be enough. Words alone were never enough to describe how wonderful she was.

She opened her arms, offering me an embrace that I realised I so desperately needed. I opened my arms too as I closed the final stepped between us before I embraced her. I slid my left arm around the small of her back and placed my right hand in her smooth hair. Her arms wrapped around me and held me as we both tightened the embrace.

I needed this and feeling the warmth of her body against mine reminded me that I had someone who would always be there for me. There was always someone who wouldn't let that loneliness and depression takeover. Hikari loved me and I loved her. She meant the world to me and I'd do anything I could for her because she was that important.

After our second adventure in the Digital World had finished, being around her kept the darkness way. Sure, we couldn't be together every night of the week but it seemed like we tried. Hikari joining me at my place or me going to hers made her my light and I no longer felt lonely. It was all because of her.

I made sure that I was able to be there for her like she was there for me. I listened to everything that she had to say, helped her out with her problems and did everything I could to make sure that she was happy. Our times together were always fun, whether it was going out and doing something or something like quietly reading together on the couch. Before I knew it, I'd fallen in love with her.

Actually, that wasn't entirely true because I loved her beforehand but I was too young and scared to realise it. Apparently, Hikari had felt the same way too. We were also too young to know how to express our love for each other, so we kept our feelings a secret from that time until after our third adventure. We turned down advances from other people and continued on with how things were, frightened of what might happen if one of us did make a move. We didn't let it affect things between us though and our bond only strengthened.

Eventually, our feelings for each other did come out about half a year after our third digital adventure. It was fifteen months ago, towards the end of our second year in middle school and, of course, I still clearly remember all of it. We were enjoying ourselves at my apartment, teasing each other and exchanging some banter just like normal. We were meant to doing homework but were watching TV instead and the teasing broke out into a cushion fight, which wasn't anything out of the normal for us.

There was a moment where we got too carried away and fell off the sofa. I landed on my back with Hikari on top of me. We were so close that our lips were practically touching already. There had been a few moments like this were we'd nearly kissed before but backed off. That didn't happen that time and we both went for it. We both say that it just kind of happened and that it's a natural progression of our relationship when anyone asks us how we got together.

I wondered why we hadn't dared to take the risk sooner because our relationship, friendship and love only became stronger once we were finally a couple. Hikari was closer to me than ever before and I couldn't have been happier. She drove away the darkness and was with me more than ever.

Even so, there were moments when my loneliness crept back in and I needed her love just like I did at this moment. I guessed that not being able to see Yamato as much as I had was what brought it back and that is what allowed my depression to creep back in for a few moments. Hikari probably knew that and felt the same way about Taichi because she wasn't able to see him as much as they had in the past since her brother started university too. It meant that we had spent even more time together recently.

I tightened my embrace of my girlfriend and felt her returning it. Her head was resting on my shoulder as I slowly moved my mouth to her ear. I wanted her to know just how important she was to me. I always wanted her to know how much I loved her and needed her.

"Thanks, Hikari," I whispered so that only she could hear me. "I really needed this."

She rubbed my back. "It's ok, Takeru."

There were a few moments of silence before I continued. "I really don't know where I'd be without you. My life would be so lonely. I'd probably be sitting alone at home most of the time with only my books and writing to keep me busy. I'm certain that I'd be depressed and that I'd definitely not be as happy as I am now."

"'Keru," she whispered her nickname for me as she held me a little tighter.

I took a deep breath before saying more. "You're the light that stops the darkness from consuming me. Just being around you gives me hope. You're the most important person in the world to me and I love you so much, Hikari."

"I love you too, Takeru," she replied instantly. "You mean so much to me too and I need you in my life too. I would be dead if it wasn't for you. You're my hero. In dark and bleak situations, your hope is what keeps leading me to the light. You keep the darkness away from me too. You give me strength and the confidence to stand up for myself. You encourage me to go and do what I want to do and help me become who I want to be. I …"

Hikari moved her head so that we were now staring straight into each other's eyes. Our lips were so close and I knew what she was thinking. Words weren't enough so we should let out actions speak for us. I closed my eyes as she closed hers, tilting our heads at the same time as the distance closed.

I felt the familiar rush of adrenaline that raced through my body every time my lips met Hikari's. It was something that I could never tire of. They locked perfectly together on the first attempt, something that came from a lot of experience and our kisses were definitely better than the awkward first one during that moment when our love originally came out.

Hikari's lips were so smooth and gentle as she pressed them into my own. I pressed back and held my lips there for a few moments. I could smell her sweet scent and feel her breath against my skin as we both breathed through our noses. We held our lips there a little longer before slowly pulling them back.

I felt the smooth skin of my girlfriend's lips glide across mine as we opened our mouths a little wider before pushing forwards for more. She added a little more force, something that I reciprocated as we deepened the kiss further. Our lips glided back and forth over one another's as we lost ourselves to our show of affection.

The feelings of loneliness and depression were chased from my mind by this kiss as I continued on. I wanted to make sure that Hikari knew just how important she was to me and just how much I loved her. My actions were going to speak for me like I could feel her actions speaking for her through our kiss. We kept going, not caring that anyone could catch us.

After what felt like an eternity, and yet it was nowhere near long enough, we finally pulled back and reopened our eyes. I could feel my lips curl upwards as I gazed into those light-filled sparkling redwood orbs opposite me. There was a large loving smile growing across Hikari's face as we stayed in each other's arms for a few moments, recapturing our breath.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over us.

I nodded. "Yeah, thank you. Thank you for being with me. I really needed you just now."

"It's ok." We shared a quick peck on the lips before she continued. "You always do the same for me too. You're somehow always there to pick me up when I'm down."

With that, we stepped out of our embrace. I felt the warmth of her body move away from my own, but I knew that it was only going to be a temporary thing. After all, I was planning on spending the entire evening with Hikari. There was no chance of me feeling lonely while I was with her.

"Now hurry up and get showered." Her loving smile turned to a smirk. "I think we should go to get our favourite ramen tonight and you can't go around town like you are."

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Well, what did you think? As I said in my notes at the start, it's the first time I've written something in first-person. Please let me know if it's ok.

So yeah, this story is basically Takeru reflecting on how lonely his life was before he came back to Odaiba and the importance of Hikari to him. I tried to show how alone he felt and how it's likely that there were very few people there for him before Digimon 02. I also hope that I managed to show that he would still probably be quite lonely too even after he came back if it wasn't for Hikari. She's the one who stops him from being alone and she stops Takeru from being depressed.

I've always felt that Takeru's childhood must have been a difficult one. There are so many things that could cause him problems even when you don't take into account Patamon's death at the beginning of Adventure. I guess that's one of the reasons why I find him an interesting character to write.

Please can you let me know your thoughts on this one-shot by posting a review below? :D


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